Food and beverage manufacturers commit to cleaner environment

The Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance, the Producer Responsibility Organisation for the food and beverage sector, has affirmed its commitment to cleaner environment with plans to embark on a clean-up exercise on used post-consumer waste at the Arena Market in Oshodi, Lagos along with its collection partner, Recycle Points.

The Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance, the Producer Responsibility Organisation for the food and beverage sector, has affirmed its commitment to cleaner environment with plans to embark on a clean-up exercise on used post-consumer waste at the Arena Market in Oshodi, Lagos along with its collection partner, Recycle Points.

The activity, which will take place on September 14, is in commemoration of the annual World Clean-up Day, which falls on September 15.

During the exercise, which is also aimed at intensifying awareness on environmental pollution, volunteered staff from members of the Alliance will be engaged in cleaning of refuse sites, walkways and drainages filled with post-consumer waste at the market.

The body said this is another demonstration of its commitment to a cleaner environment after the recently signed memorandum of understanding with Ministry of Transport and Environment, Lagos State to rid the waterways of plastic waste.

The Alliance consists of Nigerian Bottling Company Limited, The Coca-Cola Company Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Seven-Up Bottling Company Limited and Nestle Nigeria Plc.

The not-for-profit organisation has been adhering to the Extended Producer Responsibility policy of the Federal Government, which transfers significant responsibility to producers for the entire life-cycle of their products, especially at the post-consumer stages.

The clean-up programme would be used to canvass crucial issues relating to proper disposal and recycling, healthy lifestyle and other measures aimed at curbing environmental pollution.

FBRA is calling for sectoral action under the platform of a PRO to ensure that companies collectively engage in the recycling of their packaging wastes to demonstrate its shared concern for a cleaner and healthier society.

It pointed out that through PRO, companies can pool resources together to develop and fund a robust buyback scheme that could attract investors in recycling infrastructure.

FBRA believes that this strategy will attract investment in research and development of new packaging process with little or no effect on the environment, as well as alternative uses for their packaging wastes.

Founded in 2013, FBRA has received commendation from the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency, the environmental regulator, for progresses made towards EPR enforcement.